Phony IRS agent tries to scam Middle Smithfield Township man

Bill Asher says he's never had a problem getting his tax returns done in no time.

CHRIS REBER

Bill Asher says he's never had a problem getting his tax returns done in no time.

"I used to work for H&R Block. When you do 201 (returns) one season and 250 another season, you get pretty good at doing taxes," the Middle Smithfield Township resident said.

So when he recently got a call from someone claiming to be the "Criminal Investigation Unit" of the Internal Revenue Service, he was skeptical, having had no issues with his taxes.

The caller told him that there were problems with his tax returns from 2011 and 2012. They repeatedly demanded he wire them $1,079.

"Apparently, there were three infractions, three violations from past years," he said. "And basically I had to pay it immediately or there would be police officers at my door."

While keeping the caller on the phone, Asher searched for the number online. It originated from Austin, Texas, and some online posters said it was possibly linked to a phone scam.

He decided to stay on the phone and get as much information from the caller as he could. But that angered the potential scammer.

"When I started asking questions, he said, 'Don't interrupt me, I might lose my place.' He was reading a script, a carefully prepared script," Asher said.

When Asher hung up, he didn't call Western Union, but instead called the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office. It said the IRS enforcement scam has become one of the most popular so-called "extortion scams."

The scheme consists of a scammer asking the potential mark to wire money immediately, leaving no trace for investigators.

"The first thing the Attorney General's Office said when I called was 'Was it the IRS?'" he said.

The IRS says that similar scams have been reported in nearly every state in the country. In a statement last October, the agency's then-acting Commissioner Danny Werfel said that consumers can rest assured that the IRS does not take wire transfers.

"If someone unexpectedly calls you claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest... if you don't pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn't the IRS calling," Werfel said.

Phone scams where the caller imitates a public official are becoming more common.

In May, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office warned residents of a scam where someone claiming to be a sheriff's deputy was calling area police departments and asking for donations.